Arts & Entertainment

BEST PRODUCTION OF A DRAMA Minneapolis 1998 -

In this cautionary tale about the Marquis de Sade's miserable years in a Charenton asylum, Stephen D'Ambrose presented a complex, humane picture of an undeniably sick man who was only made sicker by censorship. But the show's strength went far beyond D'Ambrose's performance: Quills' ingenious set, flamboyant performances, viscerally powerful sound effects, fluid direction (by Casey Stangl), and incisive script melded to create a comic drama that was aesthetically strong, intellectually arousing, and politically challenging.